Feb 10 2012

Kim Jong-Un Death Rumor Sparks Twitter Frenzy

By Alex Fitzpatrick


Rumors of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s death took Twitter by storm Friday.

The report, which originated on the Chinese microblogging service Weibo, has not been substantiated by any formal press. But that didn’t stop it from going viral on the Internet. “Kim Jong-Un” is currently trending on Twitter and ranks sixth among Friday’s top 10 Google searches.

The unconfirmed report suggests that Jong-Un, son of the late “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-Il, was assassinated in a military coup while in Beijing, China. News of an “unusually high” number of cars outside North Korea’s embassy in China contributed to the rumor’s staying power.

The rumor really blew up when a fake Twitter account appearing to represent the BBC “confirmed” the news.

The fake BBC tweet was picked up and retweeted by many users, causing more confusion about Jong-un’s status. But a closer look revealed the account’s lack of authenticity, and the warning bells were sounded.

Late Friday afternoon, all of the faux BBC account’s previous tweets were deleted, leaving only an admission that the account was a fake.

According to Matthew Keys, deputy social media editor at Reuters, access to Twitter accounts that are “engaged in non-parody impersonation” can be revoked and given to the brand being impersonated.

Reliable news about North Korea is notoriously difficult to find, as the government is secretive and disallows access to foreign press. However, a senior U.S. official told NBC News Friday that the Jong-un death rumor runs toward “the false end of the spectrum.”

Mashable cannot confirm the accuracy of the rumors, but this isn’t the first time that Twitter has “killed” someone. Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy and Fidel Castro are just a few celebrities who have been able to paraphrase Mark Twain and declare that the Twitter-based rumors of their deaths were greatly exaggerated.

What do you think the Kim Jong-Un death rumor says about the nature of breaking news on Twitter? Sound off in the comments below.

Images courtesy of Flickr, zennie62

More About: china, North Korea, Twitter, weibo

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Categories: North Korea, china, twitter, weibo
Feb 02 2012

South Korea Detains Man for a Retweet [VIDEO]

By Zoe Fox


South Korea has detained a man for retweeting a message about the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.

24-year-old Park Jeonggeun is being held by authorities for spreading the communist North Korean government’s Twitter message, “Long live Kim Jong-Il.” South Korea is calling his retweet a violation of the National Security Law, which makes “acts benefiting the enemy” illegal.

In addition to his retweet, Park altered a photo of a smiling North Korean soldier holding a weapon, adding his own frowning face and a bottle of whiskey.

Park, a socialist and political activist, says he retweeted the message to ridicule the North Korean regime. Still, he could face up to seven years in prison.

The South Korean socialist party, with which Park affiliates, regularly criticizes the government of North Korea and its late leader Jong-Il.

“My intention was to lampoon North Korea’s leaders for a joke,” he told Amnesty International. “I did it for fun.”

It seems as though South Korea hasn’t heard of the concept “retweets don’t equal endorsements.”

Amnesty is rallying behind Park, accusing South Korea of “failing to understand sarcasm.” Along with other human rights advocacy groups, Amnesty says South Korea is using the National Security Law to limit free speech.

“Imprisoning anyone for peaceful expression of their opinions violates international law, but in this case the charges against Park Jeonggeun are simply ludicrous and should be dropped immediately,” says Sam Zarifi, Amnesty’s Asia-Pacific director.

Do you think Park’s retweet should have landed him in prison? Let us know what you think about retweets and endorsement in the comments.

Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, EdStock

More About: censorship, mashable video, North Korea, South Korea, Twitter

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Categories: North Korea, South Korea, censorship, mashable video, twitter
Aug 16 2010

North Korea Joins Twitter [REPORT]

By Stan Schroeder

North Korean media outlet Uriminzokkiri -- one of the few local outlets to write in English for a foreign audience -- has opened a Twitter account: @uriminzok.Although it is hard to determine who exactly updates the site, it is believed to be directly run by the North Korean government. Thus, the Uriminzok Twitter account could be the first official presence of North Korea on TwitterTwitterTwitter.The first message on the Twitter account was posted last week, declaring in Korean that the website "Our nation" now has a Twitter account. Subsequent messages were links to either important documents from North Korean history or news items from the Uriminzokkiri website.North Korea is run by one of the world's most secretive regimes, but lately it's been embracing social media; last month, Uriminzokkiri launched a YouTube account, which currently contains 78 videos. However, the North Korean government is hardly opening up with its new online presence, as the content posted on these accounts is pure propaganda and interaction with other users is currently nonexistent.

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Categories: News, North Korea, Web 2.0, social media, twitter
Jul 06 2010

Web Prank Tries to Send Justin Bieber to North Korea

By Stan Schroeder

You can never be too careful with Internet polls. Time magazine learned that the hard way when its "Time 100" poll got completely wrecked by pranksters from the Internet forum 4chan, and now something similar has happened to the Justin Bieber My World Contest.In the contest, users were called to vote on which country Justin Bieberjustin bieberjustin bieber should visit next. Currently, courtesy of the folks from 4chan, that country is North Korea.Since most people in North Korea don't even have unrestricted InternetInternetInternet access, it's obvious that the contest was hacked, but with only 21 hours left, it's likely that North Korea will stay on top. Currently, North Korea has 552,000 votes, followed by Israel with 546,000 votes and Poland with 509,000 votes.Will Justin Bieber really go to North Korea? We doubt it. The Canadian teen sensation should tread carefully in Internet waters though, as he's recently been the target of another 4chan attack. Who knows what they're planning for him next?

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Categories: 4chan, News, North Korea, Web 2.0, justin bieber, web